Good stuff.

I think this is the first time where I set a schedule this rigorous and actually stuck with it. It feels good to have done that, and gives me more faith in myself.

I tried a few new exercises, which is a nice change of pace. I would like to find some additional squat and lunge variations. I don't have a rack, so I'm picking the weights off of the ground. This affects how much weight I can use for things like squats, since I need it to be light enough to safely complete the exercise and get it back on the floor. If that makes any sense...

Other than that, I am very satisfied with this week's activity levels and activities.

This week is going to be a big change-up. I've been consistently lifting for a while now. Several of the weeks have been extremely challenging, and for the most part all workouts have been full-body.

This coming week, I am going to focus on cardio exclusively.

My reasons for this is I am starting to feel strain in my back and shoulders. Not a bad strain, but enough that I want to back off a little bit. I do a lot of complex lifts that rely on both back and shoulders. Plus, if I overtrain these parts, it will make it very hard to design a workout plan avoiding exercises that utilize these body parts.

So anyway, I am planning interval cardio for most days this coming week. I not positive on the scheduling yet, but I'm thinking at least 5 days with at least 1 30 minute session each day.

Good idea ... its def good to take some time off to let the muscles catch up after some tough workouts. You've done some pretty intense workouts the last couple weeks ... 2 a day for week and an extra cardio on one. I do the same thing ... after a few weeks of hard workouts I take a week off and do some light training just to keep everything going and when I feel rundown, I cut my running mileage in half. I think you have to stop working out for 2 weeks or so to lose any significant amount of conditioning. 5 days of cardio will be a break for you I am curious ... what do you listen to when working out ?

Okay, I'm going for cardio 6 days, twice a day. Why not? If I get too worn out, I can always back off. Better to shoot high and get part way there than to aim low and settle.

Each workout is going to be 30 minutes. I'm going to try to do fasted cardio in the mornings, though from what I've read it doesn't make a huge difference. I want my morning workouts to be outdoor walking/sprinting, weather permitting. That will be interesting, since I don't have a reliable timer. I'm going to have to play with my cellphone's alarm clock. I'll make it work.

GoodNESS! That's a lot of work you've been doing. Burn Out Circuit is aptly named, I like Skwigg's food pages (love her pix) but that workout, yikes! It's probably fine short-term for a change of pace, but really, no rest at all inbetween exercises?

Actually, it's almost like a depletion workout, which is why she uses so many machines and stays away from heavy BB movements--notice deadlift, BB full squats, BB bench, or the more technically complex oly lifts are NOT included. Trying to do those lifts with this format can lead to injury or at the very least, fatigue and burnout, for real. E-mail her and ask her--I bet she agrees.

That said, you lift some serious weight! And show some serious determination, which is refreshing to see. You probably do need a week to deload, but I wouldn't ramp up the cardio too much. That can be counterproductive.

Here's a good article on that, from Alwyn Cosgrove:

http://www.alwyncosgrove.com/Energy...m-Training.html

For more effective ways to do cardio, see:
http://builtblog.wikidbody.com/2007...io-if-you-must/

HTH!

I'll drop one more nugget here for your reading list,

This is for more advanced lifters like yourself who know how to do the big compound lifts. I really like it, and am doing a modified version of it now.

Full Body Fat Loss by Joel Marion

Thanks very much! I've got it bookmarked for future use.

Monday, 10/01/07 AM

Interval Cardio

5 minute warm up
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
2 minutes light
2 minutes high
1 minute medium
2 minutes high
2 minutes medium
1 minute light
2 minutes high
2 minutes medium
1 minute high
5 minute cool down

How it actually went:

5 minute warm-up
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
2 minutes light
2 minutes high
1 minute light
20 minutes medium
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
15 minutes medium
5 minute cool-down

That was rough, rough, rough! I vastly overestimated how much I could handle in 30 little minutes. My sprinting intervals had to be tempered with a lot more moderate cardio than I had anticipated. There's something about running outside that is far more challenging than pretty much any other cardio, at least for me.

BUT I CONQUERED THE HILL FROM HELL!

I ran all the way to the top. I remember when I was just starting to get my act together in early Spring, huffing and puffing my way up the hill, walking at a slow pace. But all the while I was thinking to myself, "One day I will run up this thing." And today I did! This is a nice milestone for me.

I think I will revamp my workout schedule to include the one hour interval cardio instead of two separate sessions. If I feel like adding in an extra session, it will strictly be extra credit.

Tuesday, 10/02/07 AM

Interval Cardio

5 minute warm-up
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
2 minutes light
2 minutes high
1 minute light
2 minutes high
2 minutes medium
1 minute light
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
10 minutes medium
2 minutes high
2 minutes light
1 minute high
2 minutes light
2 minutes high
1 minute light
10 minutes medium
5 minute cool-down

This session was easier than the one yesterday. I managed to add more of the high intensity in. I did the HfH again too.

I want to mention too that this cardio is pretty much fasted. I have a small cup of coffee before I go. From what I've read, the benefits of fasted cardio are sketchy, but I want to note it in case I wanted to make a comparison in the future.

This is awesome!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kcNG...related&search=

The exercise is "floor wipers" and it's from the 300 Movie Workout. I watched it a couple of times and just had to try it out. I did it with a 50 lb. barbell. It is a fun, feel-good exercise.

Wow! Looks painful,

Hi Alisa! Thanks for stopping by my gym log. I posted this in my gym log too.

It's just my own personal challenge. The 10 week timeframe is while my daughter is away at college. It's much easier to focus when she's not here. I am targeting a daily deficit of 750 cals to hit 1.5 lbs lost per week for diet. And then the exercise is based on this routine. I modified it a bit since I'm working out from home and don't have access to all of the normal gym equipment. And then I'm adding in 2 days of formal cardio. For cardio, my goal is to start out with 1 minute of jogging for every 4 minutes of walking and end up with the reverse. And as you can see in my gym log, I didn't quite start out as I had hoped, but at least I started.

I'm envious of your cardio ability! Tackling that hill must have felt wonderful.

No Gym update since last wednesday? Inquiring minds want to know, ... whats going on....?